On February 21, Germantown, MD-based Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar company, announced that SES Space & Defense, a wholly owned subsidiary of SES, awarded Hughes a contract to provide a flexible, software-defined, multi-orbit, auto-PACE solution and associated modems in support of SES Space & Defense’s and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program. The Hughes solution will enable resilient broadband connectivity using both Ku- and Ka-band Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations for various Comms on the Pause (COTP) and Comms on the Move (COTM) test scenarios.
Under this contract, Hughes will deliver its automated Network Management System (NMS), Enterprise Management and Control (EM&C) capabilities together with its Smart Network Edge software to be integrated by the SES Space & Defense team with Hughes next-generation, software-defined HM100 and HM400 satellite modems providing GEO and MEO connectivity. SES Space & Defense, which focuses exclusively on delivering satellite network solutions for governments, will integrate a LEO solution into the Hughes auto-PACE offering, adding further to the resilient nature of the ultimate program deliverable.
“Multi-orbit, flexible networks deliver real-time communications to meet mission requirements across the battlefield, said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager, Hughes Defense and Government Systems Division. “Whether users need connectivity on the ground or in the air, resilient communications must be available using the frequency band and satellite system that is most effective for the application and location. Hughes appreciates the opportunity to continue working with SES Space & Defense and others on this program as the need for multi-orbit communications accelerates.”
Source: Hughes
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By Loren Blinde
February 22, 2024
